Frederick Jerome Stewart, aka Freddie Stone, was born June 5, 1947, in Vallejo, California (USA). He grew up in Vallejo and eventually moved to San Francisco in his late teens.

 Freddie studied music theory and composition and acquired skills on many of the wind and string instruments. In 1965, he formed a group called Freddie And The Stone Souls. The band played various nightclubs and dances in the San Francisco area. In 1967, Freddie and [url=?id=a452687?redirected=true]his older brother Sly[/] merged their bands and The Family Stone was born.